The mammals are the class of vertebrate animals characterized by the presence of mammary glands, the presence of hair or fur; specialized teeth; the presence of a neocortex region in the brain; and endothermic or 'warm-blooded' bodies. The brain regulates endothermic and circulatory system, including a four-chambered heart. In India there are 410 species, 186 genera, 45 families and 13 orders of which nearly 89 species are listed as threatened in the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Animals (IUCN 2006).

The marbled cat (Pardofelis marmorata) is a small wild cat of South and Southeast Asia. Marbled cats are found in tropical Indomalaya westward along the Himalayan foothills into Nepal. They are primarily associated with moist and mixed deciduous-evergreen tropical forests. The marbled cat is similar in size to a domestic cat, with a more thickly furred tail, showing adaption to its arboreal lifestyle, where the tail is used as a counterbalance. Forest canopies provide the marbled cat with much of its prey: birds, squirrels and other rodents, and reptiles.

IUCN Status: Vulnerable (VU) Photo: Alexander Silwa